Bobcats Hang on for Win
10/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
In a blowout that became a barn-burner, the biggest play was a catch that the receiver almost didn’t see.
Donell Wheaton caught a 52-yard pass from Jack Rolovich with just under three minutes to play, on a play that began at the Bobcat eight-yard line, allowing Montana State to seal a roller-coaster 21-18 win at Sacramento State on Saturday. The win raises Montana State’s record to 3-1 in league play, 4-3 overall, and dropped the Hornets to 2-2 in the Big Sky, 2-4 overall.
“I couldn’t see it until I caught it,” Wheaton said of the dramatic, decisive catch. “It came out of the dark into the light. I didn’t see it until right at the end.”
That Wheatons’s catch would be necessary seemed unlikely for a large portion of the night. MSU led 21-0 at halftime, having thoroughly dominated the game. “We made that game something different than what it was by our inability to punt the ball,” MSU coach Mike Kramer said following a game which saw the Hornets score 10 points on possessions following blocked punts. Sac State gained a combined eight yards on its three scoring drives, moving two yards before kicking a field goal after blocking an MSU punt on the first possession of the second half. On MSU’s next possession, recovered a second blocked punt at the Bobcat three, and punched it in for a touchdown.
“We just couldn’t function in that area until we inserted (senior safety) Ryan Force,” Kramer said. “That settled things down.”
MSU’s punting shenanigans came on the heels of a nearly-flawless Bobcat first half, which ended with Montana State leading 21-0. Sacramento State’s other touchdown drive began at the Bobcat four with 3:39 to play after Hornet defensive lineman James Henderson nabbed the third of Rolovich’s three interceptions. Rainbow Mauga scored on a two-yard run to draw Sac State to within 21-18 after the Billy White two-point conversion.
Montana State’s final possession looked like a disaster after the first two plays. A sack of Rolovich and a loss of one by Isaiah Taito set up third-and-14, and set the stage for Rolovich’s bomb to Wheaton.
Montana State jumped on Sacramento State to open the game. On the first play from scrimmage, Marcosus LeBlanc picked off his third pass of the season. The drive resulted in a Jeff Hastings’ first missed field goal of the season, but set the tone MSU’s defense would carry throughout the first half.
On the Hornets’ fourth play from scrimmage, on the team’s second drive of the night, Ryan Force picked off Marcel Marquez’s second pass and returned it to the Sac State 23. Aaron Mason carried three times on the ensuing drive, toting the ball 11 yards on the third play for a touchdown.
Montana State’s defense suffocated the Hornets in the first half. Sacramento State picked up just one first down on its first three possessions. The team’s only serious first-half scoring threat, on its fourth possession, ended when Juan Gamboa hooked a 34-yard field goal wide left.
The Bobcat defense was “magnificent, dominant” throughout the night, Kramer said. MSU held the Hornets to just 117 yards and five first downs. “The defensive coaches put together a superb plan,” Kramer said. “That plan was executed to near perfection.” MSU’s defense registered nine plays for negative yardage.
Rolovich’s first Bobcat start was largely a success, in spite of three interceptions. “We made the big plays when we needed to,” the Hawaii transfer said of his first start since high school. “You can count the number of big plays you need (in a game) on one hand, and we made them.”
The junior from nearby Marin, Calif., said the game-sealing pass to Wheaton was improvisation. “That was just a wide receiver keeping the play alive,” he said. “It was a broken play, it wasn’t designed. I was just out there playing ball.”
Rolovich threw for 302 yards on the night, with most of the yardage coming from Wheaton and Mike Jefferson. Wheaton caught three passes for 132 yards, Jefferson seven for 111.
Donell Wheaton caught a 52-yard pass from Jack Rolovich with just under three minutes to play, on a play that began at the Bobcat eight-yard line, allowing Montana State to seal a roller-coaster 21-18 win at Sacramento State on Saturday. The win raises Montana State’s record to 3-1 in league play, 4-3 overall, and dropped the Hornets to 2-2 in the Big Sky, 2-4 overall.
“I couldn’t see it until I caught it,” Wheaton said of the dramatic, decisive catch. “It came out of the dark into the light. I didn’t see it until right at the end.”
That Wheatons’s catch would be necessary seemed unlikely for a large portion of the night. MSU led 21-0 at halftime, having thoroughly dominated the game. “We made that game something different than what it was by our inability to punt the ball,” MSU coach Mike Kramer said following a game which saw the Hornets score 10 points on possessions following blocked punts. Sac State gained a combined eight yards on its three scoring drives, moving two yards before kicking a field goal after blocking an MSU punt on the first possession of the second half. On MSU’s next possession, recovered a second blocked punt at the Bobcat three, and punched it in for a touchdown.
“We just couldn’t function in that area until we inserted (senior safety) Ryan Force,” Kramer said. “That settled things down.”
MSU’s punting shenanigans came on the heels of a nearly-flawless Bobcat first half, which ended with Montana State leading 21-0. Sacramento State’s other touchdown drive began at the Bobcat four with 3:39 to play after Hornet defensive lineman James Henderson nabbed the third of Rolovich’s three interceptions. Rainbow Mauga scored on a two-yard run to draw Sac State to within 21-18 after the Billy White two-point conversion.
Montana State’s final possession looked like a disaster after the first two plays. A sack of Rolovich and a loss of one by Isaiah Taito set up third-and-14, and set the stage for Rolovich’s bomb to Wheaton.
Montana State jumped on Sacramento State to open the game. On the first play from scrimmage, Marcosus LeBlanc picked off his third pass of the season. The drive resulted in a Jeff Hastings’ first missed field goal of the season, but set the tone MSU’s defense would carry throughout the first half.
On the Hornets’ fourth play from scrimmage, on the team’s second drive of the night, Ryan Force picked off Marcel Marquez’s second pass and returned it to the Sac State 23. Aaron Mason carried three times on the ensuing drive, toting the ball 11 yards on the third play for a touchdown.
Montana State’s defense suffocated the Hornets in the first half. Sacramento State picked up just one first down on its first three possessions. The team’s only serious first-half scoring threat, on its fourth possession, ended when Juan Gamboa hooked a 34-yard field goal wide left.
The Bobcat defense was “magnificent, dominant” throughout the night, Kramer said. MSU held the Hornets to just 117 yards and five first downs. “The defensive coaches put together a superb plan,” Kramer said. “That plan was executed to near perfection.” MSU’s defense registered nine plays for negative yardage.
Rolovich’s first Bobcat start was largely a success, in spite of three interceptions. “We made the big plays when we needed to,” the Hawaii transfer said of his first start since high school. “You can count the number of big plays you need (in a game) on one hand, and we made them.”
The junior from nearby Marin, Calif., said the game-sealing pass to Wheaton was improvisation. “That was just a wide receiver keeping the play alive,” he said. “It was a broken play, it wasn’t designed. I was just out there playing ball.”
Rolovich threw for 302 yards on the night, with most of the yardage coming from Wheaton and Mike Jefferson. Wheaton caught three passes for 132 yards, Jefferson seven for 111.
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